Case Number 15938

My Zinc Bed

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All Rise...

Judge Clark Douglas refuses to sleep on beds made of group 12 elements. What a perverted idea.

The Charge

Attraction. Temptation. Addiction.

Opening Statement

"If you're cured, you'll be cured of desire—and who wants to be
cured of desire?"

Facts of the Case

Paul Peplow (Paddy Considine, The
Bourne Ultimatum) is a reporter and poet who's finally managed to get a
fresh start in life. At one point in his life, Paul was in a pretty deep hole
personally. He was a hopeless alcoholic, his girlfriend was cheating on him
incessantly, and it was becoming harder and harder to hold a job. One day, Paul
finally got a grip and decided to join Alcoholics Anonymous. It helped him
immensely. With a lot of time and perseverance, Paul was able to become clean
and sober once again, and managed to get a job writing for a magazine. All the
hard work pays off when Paul manages to snag an interview with billionaire
Victor Quinn (Jonathan Pryce, Brazil).
This is no small feat. Victor had been notoriously reclusive when it comes to
the media, generally refusing to grant interviews or participate in
conversations with journalists. However, it just so happened that Victor had
read some of Paul's poetry, and liked it so much that he agreed to the
interview.

Shortly after Paul and Victor meet, it becomes a bit unclear as to who is
interviewing who. Victor brushes aside most of Paul's questions with quick
answers, and proceeds to ask a lot of questions of his own. He's particularly
fascinated by the idea that Paul doesn't drink, and becomes even more intrigued
when he hears that Paul is in AA. Victor makes the bold statement that AA is a
cult, and that Paul will never truly be free until he doesn't need it anymore.
Paul understandably responds with anger, harshly informing Victor that he might
not be alive if it weren't for AA. After some further discussion on the matter,
Victor shrugs and lets it go. He then offers to give Paul a job—a new job,
a better job, working on his company website. Paul happily agrees, and initially
finds himself very happy in the new position.

One night, Paul meets Elsa Quinn (Uma Thurman, The Life Before Her Eyes), Victor's
wife. They begin to chat, and after a while the conversation veers to the
subject of alcoholism. Elsa was also a former addict, but she no longer attends
AA meetings. She says she doesn't need them anymore, and that she is able to
drink casually without any consequences. Paul doesn't believe what he hears. He
finds the very concept contradictory and appalling, and soon finds himself
frantically searching for a way to get out of the conversation. Not because he
is offended by Elsa, but because she is so irresistible and appealing that he
finds himself having feelings for her. Feelings indicate the presence of
emotions, one emotion is anger, and anger is what led Paul to start drinking in
the first place. Suddenly, Paul and Elsa find themselves kissing passionately,
only to have circumstances force them to quickly go their separate ways. Is
Victor playing some kind of diabolical game? Is Elsa truly free of her
addictions? Will Paul ultimately succumb to his weaknesses?

The Evidence

There are few things that I love more in a film than good dialogue. Give me a
few characters who have an interesting way of presenting the spoken word, and I
will sit there and listen as long as you ask me to. I know some fellow reviewers
and critics who tend to be a little hesitant about the idea of watching plays
that have been adapted for the screen. They complain about how a production
feels too "stage-y," and say that what works on the stage needs to be
made more cinematic or it simply won't work on the screen. I don't feel that
way. If I am given the opportunity to see a film with three-dimensional
characters that have been crafted with thoughtfulness and honesty, then by
golly, I'll take it. My Zinc Bed, adapted from the play of the same name
by David Hare, is such a film. It takes place in a series of simple sets, and
basically involves nothing more than three characters having conversations, but
it is nothing short of deeply compelling.

Hare's play throws out a lot of ideas and concepts that are quite
intriguing. There are discussions on subjects ranging from capitalism to
marriage, and a whole lot of assorted goodies in-between. It may seem a bit
dense on a first viewing, and even after repeated viewings one may begin to
wonder whether every single piece Hare includes actually fits into the puzzle.
Perhaps so, perhaps not, but the primary idea is a subversive and brutally
honest one that drives My Zinc Bed to success. I have often thought about
the concept of opening oneself up emotionally. At some point, many of us make a
choice whether or not we are going to do so. If we allow ourselves to feel and
to truly live, then obviously we open ourselves up to some measure of
vulnerability. We can be hurt and we can be damaged. When one has had enough of
such experiences, they may choose to shut down emotionally, allowing a
straightforward and safe logic to replace something as messy as feelings and/or
emotional attachments. This often provides a certain form of safety, but also
prevents one from truly being able to experience life to its fullest (not to
mention to potentially toxic long-term effects).

David Hare explores that idea here, but he chooses an interesting way in
which to examine the subject. Rather than telling a story based purely on the
idea of emotions and relationships (which certainly play a big role here), Hare
chooses to use alcohol as his catalyst for discussion. In doing so, he enables
viewers to look at the arguments a bit more objectively, and also manages to
give the subject a slightly more subversive edge. If we were merely discussing
the subject in a straightforward manner, I think it might be much easier to make
a sentimental argument for allowing yourself to feel and be vulnerable. However,
by tying the logic of that argument in with the logic of leaving AA in order to
be truly free rather than merely restrained, Hare successfully emphasizes the
diabolical nature of the choice.

The actors are all perfectly chosen, not only because they play their roles
with pitch-perfect precision, but because their personas perfectly embody what
their roles are meant to signify. As Victor Quinn, Jonathan Pryce oozes charm
and free-spirited joy, as if to say, "Look at how glorious my life
is!" It's so convincing that we immediately suspect it is too good to be
true, that Pryce must be some sort of devil plotting a diabolical game. He also
gets to deliver the juiciest lines, such as this one when he turns down the idea
of going to a Mozart concert: "All that life-affirming can seem awfully
jangly when it hits you at the wrong angle." Paddy Considine is a good deal
more plain and uncharismatic as the restrained Paul. He's peaceful and he
doesn't seem to have any problems, but his life also seems perfectly dull. He's
what many of us feel we need to be, while Victor is what many of us want to be.
Finally, we have Uma Thurman as Elsa, the story's sweet siren of destruction.
Here is a woman with the beauty and charm to make both Victor and Paul abandon
their deeply held philosophies, all the while holding buried problems and
complexities of her own behind her radiant appearance. All three actors play off
each other remarkably well.

The transfer is a solid one, with the soft color scheme accentuated with
clarity and depth. It's not much to look at visually, aside from a few brief
exterior shots of some lovely landscapes, but I'm pleased with the image. Flesh
tones are accurate, blacks are fairly deep, detail is perfectly acceptable. The
audio is equally effective, with the dialogue-heavy track occasionally
accentuated by an insinuating score from the talented Simon Boswell. No extras
are included on the disc.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

I have very few complaints about the film, save for the fact that just a
couple of dialogue exchanges between Thurman and Considine devolve into slightly
overheated melodrama. Perhaps this is intentional, and it would actually seem to
fit from a thematic standpoint, but I still found these moments a bit too
distracting, as they briefly pulled me out of the viewing experience. Also, I
would have really appreciated some extras. An interview with Hare (who also
provided the screenplay) and/or the actors would have been nice, but alas, HBO
continues to be rather stingy in that department.

Closing Statement

My Zinc Bed is a terrific film that deserves your attention. This
75-minute gem packs a powerful punch, leaving you with plenty to chew on and
talk about. Great performances, great dialogue, great stuff. Highly
recommended.